Jim Thompson has invited designer Hutton Wilkinson, owner and creative director of Tony Duquette Inc., to create for us, an exclusive collection of woven and printed textiles for decorative home and commercial installations.

Wilkinson worked in partnership with American design icon Tony Duquette for thirty years before Duquette’s death aged 85 in 1999.

Tony Duquette, who as a young man, designed costumes and sets for Fred Astair musicals at MGM with famed director Vincente Minnelli, was the first American to have a one-man exhibition at the Pavilion de Marsan of the Louvre Museum in Paris. Duquette went on to design costumes and sets for Opera, Ballet and the theatre, his costumes for the original Broadway production of “Camelot” winning the prestigious “Tony Award”. As well as his work for the theatre, Duquette with Wilkinson designed interiors for residential and commercial installations internationally. Working from their home base in Los Angeles, California the designers worked in San Francisco, Hawaii, New York, Paris, France, Venice, Italy, Salzburg, Austria, Dublin, Ireland to name a few. All of their work was custom Duquette and Wilkinson designed ranging from furniture to table top, from parties to even jewellery for their international clientele.

Today, one of a kind pieces of Tony Duquette jewellery which Wilkinson continues to create under the international trademark, “Tony Duquette” are coveted by collectors around the world.

Because Tony and his artist wife Elizabeth were friends of Jim Thompson, having visited him many times “at home” in Bangkok and having entertained him in their own atelier in Los Angeles, Wilkinson was enchanted with the opportunity to collaborate with Jim Thompson on a fabric collection. Selecting motifs from Duquette’s deep archives, Wilkinson has chosen, “Ermine Tails”, “Malachite” and “Coral Branches” to cast his spell.

Royal Ermine
3334/01-08
100%Cotton
8 colourways
Martindale 18,000 rubs
The “Ermine Tail” pattern is taken directly off of a chair which was exhibited at the Louvre in 1951. The pattern was drawn by Duquette and realized by French nuns working in needlepoint. For Jim Thompson, Wilkinson has chosen a coral background as well as the oyster white background to complement the black and white ermine tail design.

Erminia
3333/01
69%Linen – 31%Cotton
1 colourway
A companion to Royal Ermine, “Erminia” is a black and white ikat entwined woven voile which works wonderfully for draperies. Different from the “Ermine Tail” in pattern but looks great as a companion piece that will work well with all the other colours and patterns in the collection.

Gemstone
3325/01-04
100%Cotton
4 colourways
Martindale 20,000 rubs
The “Malachite” pattern was used extensively by Duquette for his own residence as well as for many of his clients. When designing jewellery, malachite stones were a favourite of Duquette. His interest and love for the stone translated to dishes, bound books, floors and tabletops. For Jim Thompson, Wilkinson found a length of Duquette’s original hand painted malachite fabric to be faithfully reproduced in rich colours. Wilkinson has also updated the design by including it in lapis lazuli blue, rose quartz pink, beige and honey-toned onyx.

Gemstone Grillwork
3326/01-06
100%Cotton
6 colourways
Martindale 26,000 rubs
Tony Duquette used grillwork patterns extensively in his interior design work. Intricate Moroccan grillwork studded with brass nails, 18th century Chinese snowflake patterns or French trellis patterns were repeatedly used to enhance his decorative effects. For this special fabric for Jim Thompson, we have created an intricate grillwork pattern evoking an Indian Moghul ivory inlay which overlays the rich malachite, lapis lazuli, rose quartz, Persian black and onyx background patterns.

Pacific Coral
3328/01-05
100%Linen
5 colourways
Giant coral patterns have been taken from a fragment of a woven carpet in Duquette’s archives and in the hands of Jim Thompson have become a bold graphic statement printed on linen in coral, beige, blue and rose quartz pink.

Tibetan Sun
3329/01-03
30%Silk – 70%Cotton
3 colourways
Wilkinson has taken patterns from industrial metals and overlaid them with emblems and motifs which are repeatedly found in his work with Tony Duquette. Included in these is “Tibetan Sun”, immolating the embroidered motif on a honey comb pattern in red lacquer and in various colours of gold and blue.

Octavian
3331/01-04
68%Cotton – 32%Polyester
4 colourways
Martindale 43,000 rubs
Antique textiles produced by Jim Thompson for Tony Duquette in the early 60’s have been updated by Wilkinson using new colours and bolder patterns more suitable to our 21st century interiors.

Golden Sunburst
3337/01-06
65%Silk – 35%Rayon
6 colourways
For this magnificent silk jacquard weave, Tony Duquette’s “California Sunburst” pattern has been repeated in a large scale pattern as a veritable celebration of his signature motif.

Fireworks
3338/01-05
100%Silk
5 colourways
Tony Duquette lived for fireworks “Feu d’Artifices” which he evoked in precious jewellery and elegant chandeliers for his many international clients. For this magnificent “reversible” fabric we have created the fireworks in the room in a myriad of mouthwatering jewel coloured combinations.

Marsan
3336/01-04
100%Cotton
4 colourways
Martindale 73,000 rubs
This luscious watermelon coloured chenille has been picked directly from Duquette’s 1951 upholstery which he had specially woven to cover his now famous “Marsan” chairs which was exhibited at his unprecedented one man exhibition at the Pavilion de Marsan of the Louvre Museum, Paris. Duquette paired his upholstery with jet-black buttons to give the effect of watermelon seeds. (Tony Duquette was the first American to have been honoured with a one man exhibition at the Pavilion de Marsan of the Louvre Museum).

Spinach Leopard
3327/01-02
100%Linen
2 colourways
Martindale 18,000 rubs
Tony Duquette created the original Spinach Leopard for his own use in the 1960’s. His original colourations have updated the exotic leopard to his own brand of “Hollywood Chinoiserie”.

Asia Minor
3340/01-11
26%Silk – 63%Cotton – 11%Polyester
11 colourways
This intricate pattern evoking Asian grillwork is “reversible” and coordinates with many other colour combinations in the collection including Asia Major which is a large scale to this design. Duquette would often use similar grillwork patterns and would have the carpets woven to match the draperies and upholstery which he made out of those textiles.

Asia Major
3341/01-09
26%Silk – 63%Cotton – 11%Polyester
9 colourways
A large scale grillwork pattern to Asia Minor, this fabric is perfect for upholstery or draperies and comes in a selection of vibrant correlating colours.

Feu d’Artifices
3339/01
62%Linen - 21%Polyester – 17%Nylon
1 colourway
The collection which includes 14 patterns is mouthwatering for its use of clear, jewel like colours. Duquette and Wilkinson are known for their use of clear, bold colour offset by dark bronze, tête de nègre, and ombré tones and of course white “like diamonds”. Tony would say “we need diamonds to make it sparkle!"